Have leftover Halloween candy from trick-or-treating? Chop it up and turn it into these Gooey Halloween Candy Cookie Bars that are oozing with chocolate, caramel, nougat, and nuts!

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Happy Halloween! You can’t deny that there’s a sense of playfulness in the air today! It’s going to be a fun day of Halloween parades, kids in costumes, and of course, candy! Lots and lots of candy! Man, I miss the days of coming home from school, scarfing down dinner, and heading out to trick-or-treat with my friends.

I remember ditching my cute pumpkin pal for a pillowcase. Some years, we’d even have to go home and dump out the candy we got to head out into the neighborhood again! We always knew which houses gave out full-size candy bars, extra handfuls of candy, money, and we even got some comic books in our bags! We had candy for days (more like enough to last until next Halloween) tucked away in large bowls on the top of the fridge!

These days, it seems like trunk-or-treat and organized Halloween events have taken over trick-or-treating. We probably get less than handful of trick-or-treaters each year. Instead of stocking up on bulk bags of candy, I opt for one assorted bag of mini chocolate bars. And, most of the time, we end up with leftovers!

I try to stay away from sweets as much as possible, but I ended up buying a bag of assorted chocolate candy this year with Snickers and Twix bars in it this year. Big mistake! Those are two of my favorite chocolate candies!

A tasty way to use up leftover Halloween candy!

Whether you have leftover candy or you’re stealing it from your kids (don’t deny it – you know you do it!), I figured out a sweet way to use some of it up! Gooey Halloween Candy Cookie Bars! I basically tweaked the recipe for my Skillet Chocolate Chip Cookie, removed the chocolate chips and pecans, and added chopped Halloween candies, and ditched the cast iron skillet for a 9″ x 9″ baking pan.

The result is a thick, cookie-like bar. As the bars bake, the chopped up candies melt down into it. You get a gooey mixture of chocolate, caramel, nougat, and nuts in each delicious bar! If you’re like me and kind of bummed that spooky season is coming to an end, this is a delicious way to keep it going a little longer!

What a sweet way to end spooky season! Seriously. These have been so good with a tall glass of milk at night. I need someone to come and take these away from me! Happy Halloween, indeed!

Did you make these Gooey Halloween Candy Cookie Bars with your leftover Halloween candy? Make sure to share your pics on Instagram using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats. Don’t forget to tag me @lavidaholoka!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BakeBetterCookies #CollectiveBias #ChewyCookies

These Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are the ultimate mashup of classic chocolate chip cookies and fall flavors with a “fresh from the oven” texture!

There’s nothing like a cool, fall day and the smell of something warm and sweet baking in the oven! Fall is the return of so many of my favorite things, including baking season and, of course, pumpkin season!

I love whipping up baked goodies in the fall, but I’m not the best baker in the world (I seriously have so much to learn from my mother, the ace baker in the family). I’m not horrible, but I haven’t found a recipe that I can absolutely nail. My baked goods are usually just a little “off.” My cakes are a touch too dry and my cookies always seem to be a little too dark on the bottom.

Well, I definitely did something right with this cookie recipe because I nailed it! These Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are the ultimate fall cookie! Think: classic chocolate chip cookie with just the right amount of pumpkin goodness and a soft and chewy texture!

The recipe starts off like a traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe – butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, and all of that good stuff. But then the magic happens! I added in some pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice to give these cookies a dose of fall flavor.

But the real secret to making the chewiest, best-tasting chocolate chip cookies ever is using Karo® Corn Syrup! Up until now, I basically kept Karo® Corn Syrup on hand to use in my husband’s favorite Chocolate Pecan Pie. That’s all changed thanks to this cookie recipe!

When it comes to cookies, I prefer them soft and chewy instead of crispy. You’ll usually find me sneaking a few cookies from the baking sheets when they’re fresh out of the oven! Karo® Corn Syrup keeps cookies soft and chewy for that “fresh from the oven” flavor in every delicious bite! It’s a great ingredient to keep on hand for your fall recipes.

These cookies aren’t just a perfect mashup of chocolate chips and pumpkin. They’re a drop style cookie, so they’re super easy to make, too! Just mix up all of the ingredients, then drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto baking sheets, and bake until they’re fluffy and slightly golden!

Did you know that Karo® Corn Syrup is the leading corn syrup brand with over 100 years of quality and trust over multiple generations? It’s now my favorite ingredient to sneak into cookie recipes for that perfect soft and chewy texture! Grab a bottle the next time you’re at the grocery store for all of your fall baking!

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Skip the box of chocolate this Valentine’s Day and bake up a batch of these Valentine’s Day Chocolate Dipped Meringue Hearts instead!

It seems like I can’t go grocery shopping without seeing an entire aisle devoted to Valentine’s Day this time of year. But there’s only one reason I keep venturing down these aisles – my husband. Every year for Valentine’s Day, I buy him the same small box of chocolates. It’s become a yearly joke between us.

My husband loves Blue Nose Pitbulls. So five years ago, when I stumbled across a box of chocolates with a couple of blue pits on it, I knew I had to get it for him. He ended up loving it so much that he kept the cover of the box.

Year after year, I kept seeing the same box of chocolates. So every year, I’ve bought it for him. This year, I haven’t seen that box of chocolates yet, but I’m determined to find it! In the meantime, my permanent Valentine gets to help me test out recipes for Heart Day – you know, just in case that box of chocolates doesn’t show up this year!

These chocolate dipped meringue hearts are better than a box of chocolates!

During the holidays, I did a lot of baking! Most of it was semi-homemade from cookie mixes, but I did manage to bake a batch of homemade meringues. I had misplaced my star tip, so I affectionately called my holiday meringues “snowman poop.” They were vanilla meringue cookies decorated with a snow inspired sprinkle mix. The cookies turned out so good that I decided to make them again for Valentine’s Day. This time, I made them into pink hearts and dipped them into dark chocolate.

I figure these cookies will easily keep me from nosing around those Valentine’s Day aisles for myself, as tempting as they may be. My sweet tooth will stick to meringue. After all, a plain meringue cookie is only 10 calories. It might be a little more dipped in dark chocolate, but it’s so worth it. Especially when you compare it to the candy hanging out in those seasonal aisles in the store!

These cookies are light, crispy, and have a subtle vanilla flavor. You could definitely swap out the vanilla extract for a strawberry or raspberry extract. I dipped them in dark chocolate because that’s what I had on hand. Plus, dark chocolate is basically the healthiest chocolate you can consume. Despite the sweet temptation of the Valentine’s Day season, I’m still trying to keep my healthy eating habits in check.

Have a Galentine’s Day gathering coming up or want a special treat for your Valentine? Whip up a batch of these cookies! As long as you make sure that your egg whites come to room temperature before whipping up these meringues, you’ll be good to go!

Don’t forget to share your meringue hearts by tagging me @lavidaholoka and using the hashtag #livinglavidaeats!

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Holiday entertaining just got so much easier with these 20 Easy and Delicious No-Bake Holiday Treats!

Christmas is fast approaching and, this time of year, I try to spend as much time as I can in the kitchen. I like to turn up the Christmas tunes and whip up a couple batches of holiday treats to give alongside gifts. The past few years, I’ve been slacking on my holiday baking. Between lack of time and lack of interest, I haven’t had many homemade treats to dish out to family and friends.

This year, I want to get my holiday baking streak back on track! I might take a few shortcuts, but I plan on filling a bunch of tins with an assortment of homemade treats. I’ll definitely be keeping a few of these no-bake holiday treat recipes on hand to add to trays and tins this year! No oven required? So easy!